Desperate Times
by 2queens1prince
Summary: Henry's been away all week and wants to reconnect with Elizabeth, but what will he have to overcome to get that done.


AN: This was a prompt from a few weeks ago and it took a little doing to get my mind wrapped around it. It's a little silly, but not unlikely in the world of exhausted motherhood, so I hope you enjoy this little ditty.

"Just a few more hours," Elizabeth mumbled under her breath, as she shoved the kids rain soaked, muddy jackets into the washing machine. It had been a crazy week. Henry was out of town, work had been nuts, and for fun, throw in a preschool program and Stevie's early dismissal from school. Elizabeth was done.

Bedtime routines were short and sweet for the two younger McCords and by the time 8:30 rolled around, she couldn't shove Stevie into bed fast enough. "You may read for 30 minutes and then lights off. And don't make me come to check on you," she threatened on the way out the door.

Quickly changing the laundry over to the dryer, Elizabeth tidied up the kitchen and hoped for a couple slices of pizza left from the kids' dinner. She was greatly dismayed to find the box empty, vaguely remembering something mentioned about Jason eating four pieces. Oh well, she didn't need to be eating pizza this late anyway.

She cleaned out Jason's backpack, removing several color sheets and uncovered a small box of animal crackers leftover from his snack day. "This will work," she muttered, ripping the paper packaging open and pulling out a lion.

She turned out the lights and headed off to bed, seeking some much needed down time, hoping that Henry would be home shortly.

It was well after midnight when Henry crossed the threshold of his Virginia home. Elizabeth was supposed to be waiting up for him, but he doubted she would be able to, not this late, and not when she'd been wrangling all three kids all week by herself while he was in Denver at an academic conference.

He stepped into their bedroom and a smile instantly bloomed across his face. It was obvious that Elizabeth had put the kids to bed and sequestered herself in their bedroom. She was laying across the bed, her eye mask covering her eyes, and headphones over her ears with the cord strung across the bed hooked into the CD player. He chuckled softly at the small box of animal crackers sitting near her hand. Desperate times, desperate measures, he assumed.

Leaning against the door frame, he pulled off his shoes and was just about to toss them into the closet when Elizabeth patted the pillow and, finding the box, pulled a cracker out and ate it.

So, she wasn't asleep. Henry's lips curled into a sly grin. If that's how the evening could go, who was he to stop it? He quickly shed his clothes and moved about the room quietly lighting the scented candles before grabbing the body oil from the drawer in the bathroom. Elizabeth had turned over onto her stomach and was now resting her head on her forearm as she popped another cracker into her mouth. The bedsheet had become tangled and it bunched up around her waist, exposing her bare back.

Henry swallowed thickly. His wife was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met and he was still amazed that she chose him. He moved toward the bed and removed the headphone jack from the CD player, allowing Kenny G's instrumentals to fill the room. Elizabeth startled and pulled the eye mask off. "You scared me," she said softly, pushing up off the bed to get closer to him. "I'm so glad you're home." She ran her hand down the length of his arm.

Henry sat down next to her. "Rough week?" he asked, holding up the box of crackers.

"I had no idea that our four year old could consume half a pepperoni pizza. By the time I actually got around to eating, there was none left for me. So, these were left over from his snack day at preschool." Elizabeth reached into the box and pulled out a giraffe, popping it into her mouth. "The less glamorous side of motherhood," she lamented.

"Tomorrow I'll make you a fabulous dinner. Just tell me what you want." She buried her face in the pillow and groaned. "I can take care of that too," he murmured, tugging the sheet from around her naked body and laying it across her. Carefully pouring the oil in his hand, Henry rubbed his palms together before placing them against her shoulder blades. He methodically kneaded her body, pressing his thumbs into her tense muscles working the knots out, pushing her skin with the heel of his palm. Over and over, into her hairline, down her neck and back. For more than an hour, he worked her over in the room dimly lit with candlelight, the smell of jasmine wafting through the air dancing on the notes of the saxophone.

As Henry finished with Elizabeth's feet, the last of her whole body massage, he looked up at Elizabeth's naked body, which glistened from the oil and glowed from the attention it received. Henry had never met anyone more mesmerizing and this woman loved him with her whole being. He found himself suddenly overwhelmed. Henry closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes, Elizabeth was sitting in front of him. "What's wrong?" she asked, concern clouding her brilliant blue eyes.

He shook his head, smiling. "Sometimes it catches me off guard. I just love you so much. You are my everything." Elizabeth dropped her head and blushed. Even after all the years they had been together, it still made her feel uncomfortable when he talked like that. She wondered if there would always be a part of her that thought she didn't deserve the kind of love that Henry freely gave. She felt his finger pulling her chin up. She smiled, knowing that he would never let her get away with thinking the thoughts that he knew were tumbling around in her head.

"My everything. Always." Henry leaned in, capturing her lips, moving to lay them both back on the bed. They stayed that way, melded into one mass of limbs, unsure where one stopped and the other started. They talked about the things that happened while they were apart and plans for the coming week. Then they quieted, foreheads resting together, just enjoying the closeness. Henry's hand floated up and down her back causing her to feel both relaxed and aroused in equal measure. She drew nonsensical patterns on his bicep, in awe of how muscular he still was after his military days.

Henry's hand dipped lower with each pass down her back until he gripped her ass, tipping the scales. She wanted him. She needed him.

Elizabeth shifted and her elbow landed on the box of crackers, making her laugh, and she pushed them to the side.

"Not very romantic," she half giggled.

"Oh, I don't know," Henry said, pulling a couple crackers from the box, studying them. He moved to lay between her legs. Propped up on his elbows, he leaned down and kissed her stomach before setting the gorilla and bear in the middle of her belly, pushing their faces together. "See, they're kissing. Totally romantic." Elizabeth snorted.

"So not romantic, but I know what is," she said snatching one from Henry, pushing him to his back. She positioned herself at his side, propping up on her arm to look down on him. She descended upon his lips, her tongue languidly tracing the seam. His mouth opened, inviting her in. It was slow and deliberate, conveying so much emotion with each moment that passed.

Henry felt Elizabeth's hand ghosting his body following the trail of hair that started below his belly button and ended at his cock, which was starting to demand attention. He sucked in a sharp breath when her fingers finally made contact, wrapping around him and squeezing just enough, causing his hips to push into her hand.

"Look," she said softly. Henry looked down to see Elizabeth set the bear cracker on his tip. "It's a bear bare cock. Gotta love that." Henry choked back the laughter and grabbed the cracker, tossing it off the bed along with the box.

"Enough." He rolled over, pinning her to the bed. "Are you tired?"

"Yes. No. No. Not tired. Definitely not tired. Got something in mind?" she asked coyly.

"I'll make it up as I go," he mumbled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Listening to the music playing softly in the background, looking at his wife, glowing in the candlelight, Henry knew the possibilities were endless.


End file.
